One Piece: ASL Pirates Special: Episode of Sabo
by Hotspot the 626th
Summary: Sabo. He is the adopted brother of Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace. He is a former nobleman's child. His crew before coming to Loguetown include Nix, Suzy, Drake, and Miko. They are all unique, strong, and are great nakama. They have all journeyed far to get where they are now, but how did they come together. That is where are story begins. Corresponds with ASL
1. Demon Fox of Mt Kumiho

**Author's Note: Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Here's the first of the 'Episode's that correspond with One Piece: ASL Pirates. Each crew member with get like two, maybe three, chapters per introduction. To those who gave me their OCs, I had to expand and even change how Ace and Sabo meet each of their crew members. I'll try to keep the core of how they meet though.**

**Disclaimer: One Piece is property of Eiichiro Oda-sama, Shonen Jump, and FUNimation. Please support the official release. OCs were generously given to me by their respective owners.**

**Now, enjoy!  
**

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**One Piece: ASL Pirates Special**

**Episode of Sabo**

To Be Freer Than Anyone!

Sabo's Journey, And the Demon Fox of Mt. Kumiho

"Luffy!" shouted Sabo as he and Ace reached out to try and stop Luffy from being executed by his enemy, Buggy. The pirate clown laughed with glee as he swung the sword downward towards Luffy's next.

_This is Sabo. He is the adopted brother of Monkey D. Luffy and Portgas D. Ace. He is a former nobleman's child. His crew before coming to Loguetown include Nix, Suzy, Drake, and Miko. They are all unique, strong, and are great nakama. They have all journeyed far to get where they are now, but how did they come together. That is where our story begins._

Three years earlier, a few months after Ace's departure…

Much like Ace a few months earlier, the same group of people was seeing off Sabo now. It was just as nice as it was when Ace left. It was even the same spot where Ace left. Sabo was now seventeen, the age when he would be an official noble in the noble class. But now, Sabo would live his own life.

"Good luck out there Sabo!" shouted Luffy was he waved his brother off. "Be sure to kick Ace's ass when you see him!"

"Haha, I will Luffy. Train hard!" Sabo laughed as he waved back to his brother and his surrogate family.

"There goes another one…" Woop Slap commented feeling disgruntled. "Garp's definitely not going to like this."

Makino just giggled as she recalled what he said about Ace. "I'm sure he will be fine." Makino said without much worry.

"Goodbye everyone! Take care of Luffy for us." Sabo shouted as he boat drifted further away. Sabo saw everyone wave to him, but could no longer hear them. Sabo then turned towards the wide ocean and the open sky. He took a deep breath and spread his arms wide-opened taking it all in. _'I'm free! No one is stopping me from living my dream! I am Sabo! Look out world!'_

And thus, Sabo's adventures begin in the East Blue as well.

* * *

From what Sabo knew of Ace's plans, which were really none, he sailed in the opposite direction hoping to not meet up with Ace too soon. A few days he had been sailing with barely a mishap. He has some incredibly luck. Also unlike Ace, he had studied a few maps. He even had a few maps on hand and knew where he wanted to go first. "I can't wait to get to Kon Kon Island."

Sabo was quite excited to get to this island. "I've heard that the island holds a festival around this time of year. It's supposed to be amazing."

Sabo began hearing the calls of birds. He looked up to see several sea birds flying above him. He then looked out to see an island with a huge mountain. "There it is!" Sabo shouted as he stood up for a better look.

In a short time, Sabo landed on Kon Kon Island. However he was surprised to find that there was no festival or even festival preparation. The town where he docked looked deserted. After docking is boat, Sabo went to look around town. He saw that there were indeed people in town, but they all seemed so…lifeless. "What's up with this place…?"

As he walked he soon found himself a bit thirsty. He looked around for some kind of tavern. What he found was a place called 'the Den'. He walked into the establishment. He looked around inside the building, it seemed as dead as the town itself. He walked up to the bar as the bald bartender cleaned glasses. Sabo greeted the man. "Hello, could I get something to drink please?"

"Sure, it'll cost ya 500 beli." The bartender said nonchalantly.

"What?! That's outrageous!" shouted Sabo angrily. Despite the outrage, Sabo paid the man. Once he collected, the bartender set a cup down and filled it. Sabo then took a drink only to spit it out immediately. "This stuff is awful!"

"Sorry." The bartender said apathetically.

"So~, isn't there supposed to be some sort of festive?" asked Sabo.

"The Kumiho Festival?" said the bartender understanding what Sabo was asking. "That was canceled when the Fox Bandits took over the local shrine."

"Fox Bandits?" repeated Sabo.

"Yeah, bunch of lowlifes that control this area." The bartender said as he cleaned another glass. "They demand a lot and no one can do a thing about it. Had to raise prices just to make living."

"Why not call the marines?" asked Sabo.

"We did…they completely destroyed."

"Wha?! How?"

The bartender looked around before he gestured the young man to come closer. Sabo obliged. Once he was close enough, the bartender whispered into his ear. "They have tamed the Demon Fox."

Sabo looked at the man confused. "The demon fox?" When Sabo spoke out loud, the doors opened abruptly.

"Ha-ha-ha!" Soon came loud laughter as a big group of tough looking men entered the tavern. The bartender seem to instantly forget Sabo and stood up straight continuing to clean the glass.

"Hey, Bartender! Set us up! Bring out the good stuff!" shouted the lead man soon followed by cheers from the rest.

"Right away." The bartender said as he quickly went to get drink of a better quality than Sabo's.

Sabo remained quiet and continued to drink minding his own business. The large group began to scatter about the tavern becoming festive and loud. Most choose to sit at the tables, but one of their group choose to sit next to Sabo, surprising him. Sabo took a glance at who was sitting next to him. He was younger than all the men that came in. His dark blue hair was shoulder length and straight. His emerald eyes seemed empty as he stared down at the counter. He wore very torn-up clothes, even more than the men he came with. He did not say a word to Sabo nor to the bartender. As the bartender walked by him, he looked at the man with contempt before moving on.

Then suddenly the doors slammed open again. "Hey boys!" A burly man entered the bar soon sending the group in cheer, all except the man next to Sabo.

The man who had enter looked like your regular jarhead. Big, muscly, square-like head with buzz-cut black hair. He had this arrogant expression on his face as he and some others walked into the tavern. Again, Sabo kept quiet and listened on. "Looky here." Unfortunately, he would seem that he had been spotted.

"We gots ourselves a guest in our Den." The jarhead man said as he slid in between Sabo and the man who was previously sitting next to him. "What brings you to our Den, huh stranger?"

"Just a guy who's starting out as a pirate." Sabo said truthfully, but not making eye contact with the unsightly fella.

"Oh! An up-incoming pirate, eh?" The man then bursts into laughter. Most of his men followed suit, only the dark blue haired teen did not. As the men kept on laughing, the jarhead returned to his conversation with Sabo. "Pirates don't mean shit around here."

Sabo did not say anything and took a drink. The jarhead seemed insulted by Sabo's lack of response. "Do you know who I am boy? I'm the great Ban D. Faux with my Fox bandits. I have a 9 million beli bounty on my head. I'm dangerous~."

"You tell him, boss!" laughed one of the men before banging table in laughter.

"Huh, that's quite a bounty. Impressive." Sabo commented though not truly caring.

Faux could sense that Sabo barely cared about his claim. He just smiled rather arrogantly. "And you know, I have a mighty weapon at my disposal."

"Really?"

"The Demon Fox of Mt. Kumiho…" said Faux as pulled the young man behind him to the front. Sabo was surprised by the man's bold words. Soon the men around them began to cheer.

Sabo looked at the man that Faux was so proudly displaying as if the man was a trophy. But Sabo was not interested in Faux and his men, but the so called 'Demon Fox'. The young man seemed to not care that he being paraded around like a trophy; however, he definitely didn't look happy to be such. As soon as Faux let go, the 'Demon Fox' returned to his previous position, but not before giving apologetic smile to Sabo. The rookie pirate was surprised at the man, and interested at the same time. "Pfft! Some demon." Sabo said faking disbelief and loudly.

The whole room went quiet. All the men glared at Sabo. The fiercest was from Faux. To Sabo's surprise, the 'Demon Fox' looked at him in shock. But Sabo wasn't afraid. "Yeah, what's so scary about some punk in rags? Some demon fox."

Faux turned back to Sabo, his arrogant smile now sadistic. "Is that a fact? How about a fight then."

Sabo and the 'Demon Fox' faced off in the middle of the street. This garnered the attention of the townspeople as well. As they looked out from their windows, peeked from behind doors, and hide behind corners they all wondered what the Fox Bandits were doing. But when they saw the 'Demon Fox' some on them screamed, others panicked, and all ran as if their lives were endanger. Sabo had taken noticed. _'So, there's something to this 'Demon Fox' after all.'_

"Okay, Nix. Go wild." Faux said sadistically.

The Demon Fox, Nix, looked at Faux with stern expression. "Really?"

"Just fight!" shouted Faux in frustration.

Nix relented and turned to Sabo. "I'm sorry for any injuries I inflict on you."

"No worries." Sabo said with little worry. "You gotta land a hit before you apologized."

Nix, for the first time since Sabo had known him, smiled. This surprised the young pirate rookie. He grabbed the pipe off his back and readied to fight. Nix took this a sign to start. "I hope that what you see next isn't too…disturbing."

Before Sabo could reply Nix began to change before his eyes. Nix's form began to grow bigger, more animal-like. His skin was covered in light blue fur. His hair grew longer. His nails became sharp like daggers. His facial features extended revealing razor sharp teeth. From his behind shot out four tails with white tips. When all was done, before Sabo was a large fox man. Sabo could understand now why the townspeople left. "Well, you don't see that every day." Sabo commented.

Nix tilted his head. "You're not scared?"

"Not really." Sabo said was he spun his staff and then held it pointing at Nix. "I've got a little brother with Devil Fruit powers."

"Boss…that guy ain't afraid like the others…" One of Faux's men said speaking to the leader. Faux did not reply.

Nix was impressed by his opponent's calmness. Unfortunately, he had to fight. The fox man crouched down then sprung forward. Sabo remained in his spot waiting for his opponent to get close. Nix landed in front of Sabo and went to slash at him. Sabo saw an opening and extended his staff out hitting Nix directly in the stomach. The action caused the fox man to reel back in pain. Sabo took advantage of Nix's distraction and moved around striking his side. _'His attacks…they hurt far more than usual…'_ Nix thought to himself through his pain.

Nix then tried to swipe at Sabo again. Sabo was able to step back avoiding the sharp claws. Immediately, Nix went to strike again and again repeating this method. Sabo was easily avoid the attacks by continually stepping back. Unfortunately, Sabo soon ran into a wall. "Shit!" Sabo saw Nix's claw come straight at him and ducked.

The slash attack destroyed that section of the wall. Sabo quickly rolled away from Nix and saw the devastation the fox man's claw did. "That could've bad…" Before Sabo could react he was hit by one of Nix's tail. Sabo was sent flying down the road and landed with a thud.

The bandits cheered in excitement. As Sabo recovered from his sudden impact he was shocked to see Nix was about to pounce on him. Sabo quickly rolled out of the way. He then quickly got back up and attacked Nix once again aiming for his side, but was it was caught by one of Nix's tails. Sabo smirked, "Gotcha!"

Nix turned to Sabo confused, but then he began dropped to his knees. This surprised the bandits especially Faux. "What's goin' on?" shouted Faux.

"I'd call it quits if I were you?" Sabo said speaking to Nix. "This staff is very special. It was given to me to handle Devil Fruit users, one in particular." Sabo the chuckled recalling back to a fight he and Luffy had.

"_Ow! That really hurt, Sabo!"_

"So, what do you say?" said Sabo as he smiled and extended his hand.

Nix was surprised by his opponent's calm and caring attitude. Before he could say or do anything, Sabo was tackled by some of Faux's men. At the same time, Sabo's staff was forced out of Nix's grip. The fox man soon found his strength renewed. But when he tried to stand up, he soon found himself kicked in the side. "What the hell was that?!" shouted Faux furious. "It looked like you were losing!"

"I'm sorry…" apologized Nix monotonously. "His staff…" Nix was then given another kick.

"I don't want excuses!" shouted Faux. Nix lowered his head in acceptance. Faux then turned and walked over to Sabo being restrained by his men. "I don't know who you are, but you are dead."

"The name's Sabo…" Sabo said to Faux determinedly. "And I'm a pirate."

Faux smirked evilly and then gave the Sabo a punch in the stomach. "Like I said, it don't matter here. Take him back to the hideout."

"Yes, boss!" The men then began to carry Sabo out of town. He tried to struggle out, but could not. Nix soon transformed back into his human form, his expression a bit sad.

"Let's go." Faux said to Nix. The Devil Fruit user sighed and followed behind the leader of the Fox Bandits. The town was quiet, with all but the bartender gone. The bartender was just standing in the doorway having watched the entire fight. His expression looked to be quite interested.

_TO BE CONTINUED…_


	2. Following the D

**Author's note: Read, Review, Reach for the Stars *****! Enjoy!**

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**One Piece: ASL Pirates Special**

**Episode of Sabo**

_Last time on One Piece: ASL Pirates Special, Sabo began his journey months after Ace had left. Sabo soon arrived at Kon Kon Island only to run into the Fox Bandits. Challenged by their leader, Faux, Sabo fought the so-called "Demon Fox" Nix. He almost had victory, but was interrupted and captured by the Fox Bandits. What do they plan to do to the young pirate?_

Following the D.

That Plan Sounds Absolutely Mad!

On this island there is a mountain referred to by the people as Mt. Kumiho. To them this mountain was a holy place. As such there was a shrine established where one could find peace and think clearly on life and its mysteries. That is until the Fox Bandits took over.

Inside the temple, which was wrecked and defiled, the bandits carried their latest victim into their crudely made prison cells. As they carried him, Sabo soon noticed that he was not the only one in this so-called prison. He could make out figures in the dark, but could not make out who they were. Eventually the men dragging him stopped. One of the men opened the door while another pushed Sabo into his cell. He fell to his knees, but quickly tried to make a break for it only for the door to slam into him. "Stick around." One of the men in an awful attempt at humor. He was then joined by many of the others down there.

"Enough goofing around! Get out!" shouted Faux at his men. The bandits quickly went quiet and hurriedly left. Only Nix remained behind, and Faux seemed okay with that for now. Faux then turned to Sabo and held out Sabo's staff. "What the hell is this?"

"My staff. Could you give it back please?" Sabo said politely and with a smile.

"Don't play dumb with me!" shouted Faux as he banged the staff on the bars. "How could this staff weaken my demon?!"

"I'm not sure." Sabo said with a shrug.

Faux banged Sabo's staff against the bars again. "Don't play me for a fool!" shouted Faux furiously.

Sabo hardly reacted to Faux. In fact, he seemed rather bored with the interaction. Faux notice this and began grinding his teeth in frustration. With a thought in mind, he then turned to Nix. "Catch!" shouted Faux as he tossed the staff towards Nix.

As ordered, Nix caught the staff. Once caught Nix found his strength absolute zapped. He fell to his knees and felt himself extremely tired. Faux was not concerned. He then turned to Sabo. "And it effects his human form too. What the hell is it made of?!"

Sabo stared at Faux dumbfounded. "Seriously?"

"What?!" shouted Faux feeling insulted.

Nix soon dropped the staff and found his energy regained. The clanging sound attracted Faux's attention and he noticed how Nix was recovering. Faux picked the staff and walked back over to Sabo's cell. He then held out the staff again. "Look, just tell me what this is made of. If you tell me, I'll let you out and even join my group. Everything would be forgiven unless you don't do as I say."

Sabo yawned in a bored fashion. "I rather be a marine."

Faux slammed the staff into the bars in frustration again. "Fine! Be that way!" He then turned to leave. As Nix stood back up Faux spoke to him. "I'll be back after I cool off and decide a fitting punishment. Come Nix."

"Alright." Nix said obediently. Faux then stomped, for whatever reason, out of the makeshift prison carrying Sabo's staff. Nix followed behind, but sent Sabo an apologetic smile before leaving.

Sabo simply sat where he was unimpressed with Faux's attitude earlier. _'Man…that guy was all talk…'_ Sabo thought to himself. As he thought to himself, he felt a poke to his shoulder. Sabo broke from his thoughts and turned to the darkened cell next to him. Some light from a window soon shine through, Sabo soon found himself facing older men, some old women, and one young priestess. All of them were dressed in priest and priestess outfits respectively. Two old men, one old priestess, and the only young priestess sat closest to Sabo's cell. He was a bit surprised seeing them.

"Hey, sonny, are you alright?" asked the old man with a long greying mustache who had poked him.

Sabo nodded. "Yeah…I'm alright."

"You are?" said the man with a long beard and bald head in surprise. There soon came whisperings amongst the old folks all of them sounding to be in disbelief.

"We heard you fought with Nix." The young priestess spoke concerned. She looked over Sabo with concern. "Most who come in here are usually pretty beaten up."

"Um, well, I can handle myself in a fight." Sabo said bashfully scratching his cheek.

"I'll say." The second old man said impressed. "The way Faux was rattling your cage, I would think you must have had Nix on the ropes."

"Well, I wouldn't say that…" said Sabo humbly. He didn't want to say more as he had a question of his own. "You all sound pretty familiar with Nix. Who are you all?"

"We are the priests and priestesses of the Kumiho Temple. I am the High Priest Ichi." The priest with the mustache said proudly.

"I'm just a trainee, but my name is Michiko." The young priestess said graciously.

"You can just call me Granny Hooli." The old priestess said with a smile.

"And I'm Ni-"

"Nice to meet you, but how do you know Nix so well." Sabo said interrupting the second priest. The poor priest suddenly went depressed and huddled off into his own little corner of misery.

All the old folk began chuckling at the comedic misery of the Ni Priest. Granny Hooli ignored this and instead answered Sabo's question. "Deary, Nix is a sweetheart." She said with a smile.

"He's certainly a good child." The High Priest said affirmatively. His statement was quickly acknowledged and agreed upon by the others in the cells.

Sabo was quite surprised. "And here I pegged him as a bandit that got lucky." He said jokingly.

"He is far from those hooligans." Ni Priest said having recovered quickly. He sounded very mad. "Wrecking the temple, disturbing the peace, and even keeping us here as hostages. Those men are nothing but scum!"

"But Nix is a good." Michiko said outspokenly. "He makes sure we are a little comfy and remembers to give us our food."

"And he keeps those ruffians from doing anything they would serious regret." Granny Hooli said with a nod.

"By how you all talk about him, he sounds almost like he's family." Sabo said confused.

Michiko grew sad. "Nix is, or was."

"Was?" asked Sabo.

"Oh, the boy and his mother were regulars at the temple along with Michiko's family." High Priest Ichi said nostalgically. "They were always helping out us old folk with chores and our daily duties."

"But no one in town would go near them after Nix had eaten a mysterious fruit." Michiko said with a frown.

"A Devil Fruit…" said Sabo knowingly.

"Yes, the poor boy." The old lady said sadly. "And it didn't help that every few years he gains another tail. Thus why the folks around town had called him a 'demon fox'."

"And then that plague." Ni Priest said grimly. "Killing so many, even the boy's mother, and they have the gall to convict him of black magic."

"Those ignorant villagers…" spoke one of the priests in the cells with many of the priests agreeing.

"We were close growing up." Michiko said with a smile. "His mother was a historian and helped the temple with their records."

"But his father was always out at sea doing who knows what." Granny Hooli said sounding very aggravated. "Leaving that poor woman to take care of their son."

"What does he do?" asked Sabo curiously.

"He's was an archeologist. He died out at sea looking for something. Some will or something." Granny Hooli said while scratching her head trying to remember.

"The Will of D." A new voice entered the conversation. Everyone turned to see Nix coming down with a cart of food. The cells soon got lively as the rest of the priests and priestesses greeted the young man. Nix smiled towards the prisoners. "Hello everyone."

'_Will of D.?'_ repeated Sabo in his thoughts.

"Nix!" said Michiko happily.

"Hey, Michiko." Nix said smiling back at the girl. He soon finished handing out the food to the old folks, and they in turn passed the food to others who needed, he soon walked over to Sabo. He seem to be looking over Sabo carefully. "Are you alright? Faux and his men didn't rough you up too much, did they?"

"No…they gave me the first-class treatment." Sabo sarcastically joking. "But seriously, they hardly did much."

"That's good." Nix said relieved.

"Hey, you can't be seriously believing what that Faux guy said, do ya?" asked Sabo in disbelief.

"No." Sabo stared at Nix like he didn't believe him. Nix scratched his head feeling a bit embarrassed. "I've tried explaining to him about Devil Fruits, but he's…"

"Stupid." Sabo finished for Nix.

"Stubborn." Nix said in retort.

"Isn't that putting it nicely?" Sabo said retorting back venomously. Nix laughed though he sounded very anxious. Sabo then spoke out of the blue. "Why do you follow him?"

"Huh?"

"Why are you following Faux around? I mean, by the way these guys talk about you…" Sabo gestured to the old folk in the cells next to him. "You are way too nice to be with bandits."

Nix remained silent for a bit. Sabo could see that he seemed uncomfortable about whatever the answer was. Sabo waited patiently for Nix to say anything. Eventually, Nix seem to come to terms. "I'm following the Will of D."

"That thing your father is following?" questioned Sabo confused.

"Yes, you see my full name is Soul D. Nix."

Sabo looked at Nix surprised. "Faux had that same initial…" Sabo failed to mention his brothers, but he was more curious about the current situation. "What is the Will of D.?"

"A mystery." Nix said throwing his hands out for dramatization.

Sabo sweat dropped. "Yeah…but what does that mean for Faux?"

"Before my mother died so told something important…"

"_Nix…"_ Sometime in the past, a young boy Nix stood at the bedside of his mother. The woman with long, blue hair like his laid in bed. Her body was covered as well her eyes.

The young Nix rose his head up, showing his tears, as he heard his mother's weak voice._ "I'm here, mom…"_

The sick woman smiled. _"Oh, my brave little fox…"_ She said affectionately as she raised her hand and rubbed Nix's cheek. _"I'm so sorry…"_

"_Mom…"_ cried the young child as he held his mother's hand.

"_But you don't have to worry…you carry our will and the Will of D…"_

"_Will of D.?"_ asked Nix confused, though still crying.

"_Yes…you are destined for something great, my brave little fox…You just don't know it yet."_ Nix's mother then began coughing.

"_Mom!"_

"_Nix…sweetie…"_ Nix's mother's coughing soon calmed down and she comforted her child. Nix soon calmed down and looked at his mother again. _"Listen to me…if you ever find yourself in the presence of another with a D…follow that person…they and you will have a great destiny to fulfill…"_

"…I don't know what she met by that, but since then I had studied my parents' notes about the 'Will of D.' and have made it my life goal to learn the mystery of the Will of D." Nix said with determination.

There soon came clapping from the priests and priestesses. Michiko smiled hearing her friend speak so enthusiastically. They all smiled being very supportive to the teen. Sabo was also impressed by Nix's determination. And he understood the situation a little more. "So you follow Faux because…"

"He's a D." Nix nodded glumly. He then put up a forced smile. "I know his personality is far from perfect, but I know that it will all change for the better."

"The poor boy…" said Granny Hooli just as sad as Nix.

"You know, I wonder about that…" Nix looked back at Sabo. He looked to be in thought as if piecing something together. Sabo then stood up wearing a smile. "Nix…can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" asked Nix curiously.

"Uh, I like to ask you privately." Sabo then walked over to Nix. The teen leaned in close to the bars as he suspected Sabo to whisper. Once Sabo was close enough to Nix he gave the teen a fierce punch. It sent Nix back hard enough to hit the wall. The teen then fell unconscious. Everyone was shocked.

"Nix!" Michiko stood up quickly and rushed over the front of the cell. Seeing him unconscious, she viciously looked back at Sabo. "What the hell was that?!"

"Language, Michiko!" said Ni Priest. Michiko paid no mind as she glared at Sabo.

"Boy! What are you doing?!" shouted Ichi angrily.

Sabo turned to the group smiled and bowed towards them. "Sorry, but I don't think he would've been too keen at letting me out."

"So you punched him!" shouted Michiko as she held the bars still glaring at Sabo.

The three old folk did not reply. They were curious to what the teen was thinking. Disregarding Michiko. Sabo moved to where the cell door was. He backed up all the way to the wall and then ran. He then gave the cell door a good, strong kick and the door fell. The old folks were shocked. Sabo then walked out of his cell. "For the record, I've could've done that at any time. These cells are flimsy, at best."

"Then why wait until now?" asked Ichi curiously.

"I just wanted to know the situation a little better for my plan to work."

"Plan?" repeated Michiko confused.

Sabo nodded, but turned to drag Nix into the cell. He made sure to place Nix close to the cell where the three old folks were currently sitting. "Take care of him. He's essential." Sabo then exited the cell, placed the door back in, and took his leave.

The old folks remained silent unsure about the young man that had just left. Michiko quickly went to take care of Nix. "I hope that idiot knows what he's doing. Nix isn't exactly a saint when it comes to an unprovoked fight…"

* * *

Sabo soon exited where the prison was and quickly hid himself. He noticed that it was night. _'Didn't realize how long I've been in there…'_ Sabo thought to himself.

He began to stealthily sneak through the temple. Lucky for him, it would seem that the Fox Bandits were just as incompetent as their boss. Wherever he was in the temple, the bandits did not seem to be patrolling. "Should not have expected as much…" After Sabo's comment, he turned a corner to see some doors to rooms.

"I hope I can find something in one of these rooms." Sabo quickly went through each room. Each room he found was a bedroom with multiple beds in them. "These must have been the sleeping quarters for those old guys."

Sabo quickly moved on. He soon found himself getting closer to where the bandits were as he began hearing cheering and the clanging of cups. Sabo quickly went into stealth mode. He easily sneaked around even with some bandits patrolling or just bumbling around. After many dodges and weaves, Sabo soon found he was out of hiding places as he heard two groups coming from both ends of the hallway. Thinking fast, he quickly ducked into a room. He was lucky that no one was in the room; however, there was something a little different about this room. There were tons of sacks in a corner along with a table and a single bed. And leaning against the bed, Sabo recognize a certain item.

"My staff!" Sabo said quietly, but happy as he rushed over to grab his staff. Once he looked it over, he soon realized whose room he was in. "This must be Faux's room…"

Sabo looked around the room. He then stopped at the table. He picked up a bottle and looked off the label on it. "Water-soluble paint?"

"Boss!" Sabo froze feeling as if he was caught. He looked back around to see that the door was still closed. Sabo sighed in relief. He took another look around the room to find a window. He took a chair and placed it under the window. He stood on it and looked out.

It must have been the middle of the temple as it had a very large open space with a tiled floor. Though it certainly didn't look its best due to the bandits' roughhouse nature. As of now, it looked like a bandit hideout and at the head was Faux sitting in his chair-throne. Sabo noticed behind him were many of Faux's wanted posters. Sabo could see that Faux still looked angry. "Probably still mad from earlier." Sabo chuckled to himself.

"Boss! We got you some more money!" cheered some of the bandits as they brought in some sacks of beli. The bandits that were already here cheered at their friends' success. "Those jerks on the other side of the mountain paid easy."

Faux did not say anything. He only sat in his chair in deep thought. He didn't even care about their ill-gotten gain.

Seeing as their boss wasn't praising them, some of the bandits were a bit glum. The group leader stepped forward a bit nervous. "Um, boss? Didn't you hear us? We…"

"Quiet!" shouted Faux scaring the group leader as well as the other bandits. Sabo watched intensely seeing Faux's top blow. He then watched as Faux stood up abruptly. "I'm trying to devise a way to torture that brat we have in the jail!"

"It can't be that hard, boss, we've done that plenty!" said one of the bandits.

"You fools!" shouted Faux scaring the bandits. "We need a special torture to make that brat spill his guts. He's got something that can handle my demon and I want to know what it is!"

"How about you have that little demon of yours do it? He practically worships the ground you walk on." Another bandit said soon followed by laughter. Sabo found it rather odd the bandit would mention that.

"Yeah! And only because of your middle name too!" shouted another bandit in laughter. Again, Sabo found it suspicious.

"Enough!" shouted Faux in frustration. His men soon went quiet. Once everyone had quieten down Faux finally had an idea shown through his smile. "Actually, that's a good idea. Without his staff thingy, that brat has no chance at beating my demon. He'll get him to squeal."

"I think it's time to go." Sabo said to himself as he heard the bandits cheer. He stepped down from his stand and turned towards the door. He stopped and gasped when he found someone standing in the door way. It was Nix and he did not look happy. Sabo gave a nervous chuckled and waved. "Heh, heh, hi Nix."

"Someone go get him-" Suddenly Faux was interrupted by the wall on the opposite side crumble. Sabo soon jumped out of the dust with a furry arm stretching out to grab him. Sabo quickly jumped back out of Nix's reach. Nix soon stepped out of the room his tails whipping erratically and his sharp teeth revealed in a vicious grow. Sabo soon landed right in the middle of the crowd of bandits. He looked a little panicked.

"So, I guess you are a little peeved…"

"You bastard!" roared Nix furiously. "I trusted you and you go and punch me! That freakin' hurt!"

"I said I was sorry." Sabo shouted in his defense.

"What the hell!" Faux shouted gaining both Sabo and Nix's attention.

Nix soon realized where he was and his anger soon cooled off. "Oh, um…prisoner escape?" He said with nervous smile.

"So it would appear!" shouted Faux furiously. Soon all the bandits in the room began brandishing swords and pistols. They all glared at Sabo. The young man paid no attention to the grunts as he focus solely on Nix. While Faux was furious about Sabo's escape, he soon remembered what he had said earlier. "No…Don't attack the brat."

"What?" Some of the bandits shouted looking at their boss.

"Instead…Nix, you torture the brat." Nix looked at Faux surprised. The bandits soon realized what their boss was saying and they began to chuckle in anticipation.

"Ex…Excuse me?" asked Nix feeling a bit confused.

"Torture the brat. Fight the brat. Either one works, I just want him to be in pain." Faux said with a sadistic smile.

"You don't have to do this, Nix!" Sabo shouted towards the fox man. Faux eyed the young man critically, wondering what he was doing. Sabo continued to speak, "You know Faux is an asshole! You don't have to listen to him because of his name."

"Fight him Nix!" shouted Faux confidently. His bandits then cheered believing the fight was on. But Nix did not move from his spot.

The bandits soon stopped cheering. They soon began getting a little nervous. "He's not doing anything…"

"You think he didn't here, boss?"

"Maybe boss doesn't have the power over him anymore?"

Faux heard all this clearly and it made him angry. He saw that Nix looked to be seriously thinking over the brat's words. Faux was starting to get angry as Nix failed to listen to his order. "Nix! You better listen or you'll never understand the secret of…that staff thing!"

Sabo looked back at Faux with a deadpanned expression. He then looked back at Nix. The teen seemed to have made his decision as he geared up to attack. Sabo sighed. "Fine…have it your way." Sabo then held his staff out ready to fight.

"Sorry…" Nix then launched forward at Sabo.

Nix and Sabo crashed through the wall of the temple and out into the forest. Both teens took damage from crashing through the wall Sabo a little more than Nix due his Devil Fruit. The two rolled a bit before separating with Sabo recovering quickly. Nix rose brushing the rubble off his large body. He then stared at Sabo at, roared, and then went to strike Sabo with his claw. Sabo dodged left letting the strike destroy part of a tree. Letting the tree fall, Nix soon went after Sabo. Watching from the temple, the bandits cheered while Faux simply observed.

Using the terrain to his advantage, Sabo weaved between trees as Nix tried attacking with his claws and tails. The trees took the full blunt of Nix's attack tearing a good chunk from each tree that was hit. Sabo soon took the initiative and smacked Nix with his staff. Nix stopped his attack and reeled back in pain. At that moment, the trees that Nix had lashed began to collapse. Nix failed to notice and the trees soon collapsed on top of him starting with his tails, then his body, and finally his head. He yelped in pain as the trees fell on him.

"Did that work…?" questioned Sabo as he saw no movement.

The bandits gasped in shock. Faux himself seemed a little worried.

Suddenly the trees exploded outwards. Sabo tried to duck, but he could not avoid them all. Sabo was hit by one of trees. Luckily, he was only hit and so he fell to the ground holding his stomach. Nix rose from the ground, his tails wagging even more erratically, and glared at Sabo furiously. Sabo looked up to see that Nix was still conscious. "Damn…you are tough…" Sabo said with a smile.

"Finish him!" shouted the bandits as the cheered for their demon.

Sabo recovered and stood strong against the fox man. "But I've met tougher."

"Your arrogance will be your downfall." Nix said angrily.

"It's not arrogance…" Sabo said calmly. He then let his staff drop.

Nix took this chance to strike. He charged forward on all-fours at Sabo. Sabo didn't back down. He reeled back his fist. Nix then leaped forward with his claws out. Sabo smirked and threw his fist out shouting, "Its experience!" Nix's face collided with Sabo's fist. The poor teen hardly knew what had hit him. The power of the punch sent the fox man flying back. So far back that he crashed into the temple wall that wasn't broken. The bandits quickly got off or moved away from the wall as it came crumbling down. And with it came Nix. The bandits were absolutely shocked. Faux was shocked. Sabo was hardly surprised.

'_You know, despite being a grouch and a jerk, Garp's training was pretty beneficial.' _Sabo thought to himself. Sabo then moved quickly. While the bandits were in complete shock and awe over the defeat of Nix, Sabo quickly went through the other hole in the wall.

"Get up, you demon!" shouted Faux as looked down at the fox man angrily. Nix groaned in reply and just barely moved. Faux then gave a kick to Nix's side. "Get up!"

"Ow!" shouted Nix as he swiftly sat up holding his side.

"Hey, Nix!" The fox man recovered and turned to see Sabo standing where Faux's chair used to be. He had his hands behind him for some reason.

The bandits, who were also looking at Sabo, were pushed aside as Nix walked over to Sabo. Nix walked all the way up to Sabo until he was literally looking down on him. As the two stared at each other Nix gave a threatening growl. Sabo was unafraid. "Hear me out…"

"What?" Nix said with a low growl.

"Faux isn't who he says he is." Nix eyed the older teen curiously. Sabo held up one of Faux's wanted posters. He then pointed to a surprisingly large gap in Faux's name. "Notice the gap…"

"Don't listen to him!" shouted Faux quickly and nervously.

Sabo smirked. He then brought out a cup of water and splashed it on the wanted poster. Faux gasped in fear. Nix watched as the unusually large space between the 'D' and 'Faux' began to be filled. Once the paint was off, Nix read the poster. "Band Dee Faux…"

"Yep! Totally not a D." Sabo said still wearing his smirk.

Suddenly the air around Nix began to become tense. The bandits could feel it and they began to step back. Faux himself was sweating profusely as he too stepped back. "N-N-Now Nix…Let's not do anything hasty…" Faux said with a very nervous smile.

Nix soon stood straight up and slowly turned around giving every bandit – especially Faux – the angriest glare ever conceived. (And if this were drawn, fill an entire page) Nix then released a mighty roar and charged at the bandits.

* * *

It was now morning and a great amount of cheering could be heard. At the temple, the many priests and priestess were cheering Nix's name. The boy, now back to being a human, scratched the back of his head almost embarrassed by the cheering. Off to the side all the bandits were heavily beaten up and tied up. Sabo sat nearby them looking as if he was resting. He had a few bandages on him courtesy of the priestess of the temple. Next to him was the severally beaten up Faux. He almost didn't look recognizable. Sabo watched everyone from afar with a smile.

"My boy, I'm glad you finally came to your senses." Ichi said rather sternly. "You've certainly caused us some grief."

"Sorry…everyone." Nix said as he bowed to the old timers.

"You better be sorry!" shouted Michiko angrily. "This is all because of that stupid Will of D. thing that let Faux take advantage of you."

Nix rubbed the back of his head embarrassed blushing just slightly. "Sorry…"

To his shock, Michiko suddenly hugged him. His blush increased tenfold. "At least the truth was revealed before you did anything regrettable." Michiko said in a hush tone.

"It is also thanks to that young man…" said Ni. Everyone turned to Sabo as he seemed to be getting ready to leave.

Sabo felt their gaze and turned towards them. He looked a little confused. "What?"

"Young man, where are you going?" asked the old priestess.

"I'm thinking of heading out." Sabo said with a carefree smile. He then began to walk giving a wave to the crowd. "Thanks for first-aid."

"What a strange guy." Michiko commented befuddled.

"Wait!" Sabo stopped as he heard Nix's shout. Nix walked over to Sabo. He then bowed to Sabo, surprising him. "I'm sorry for how I acted. If I didn't think so highly of the Will of D. I probably would've done something I would regret. Thank you."

Sabo was a caught off guard by Nix's sudden apology and gratitude. Though he had a faint blush in embarrassment, he held himself high. "Yeah…well, you shouldn't put some much value into something if that is how someone is going to act. Faux was a really bad man."

"Yes…I understand." Nix said still bowing.

"And he didn't even act like a real D. anyway."

That comment got Nix's attention. Everyone else heard it as well. Nix stood back straight looking at Sabo bewildered. "What?"

Sabo grinned and rubbed his chin. "Well, I don't know what this 'Will of D.' thing is, but I've got two brothers with 'D' in their names and they don't act anyway like Faux."

"What!"

"I mean, they are a bit carefree at times and they are both fight with each other far too much, but they are great." As Sabo finished, his shoulders were grabbed and he found Nix face-to-face with him. He was a little surprise.

Nix looked at Sabo with great amazement and shock. "Can I meet them?"

"Well, we've kinda separated at the moment." Sabo said as he brushed Nix's hands off his shoulder. Sabo saw that Nix looked disappointed, but he knew that this would change with his next sentence. "But…if you join my crew, not only do I promise that you will meet them, but I'll also help you in learning about the Will of D. What do you say?"

Nix was shocked by this offer. This man – a mere stranger to him – was offering him probably one of the best deals of his life. And while his 'service' to Faux was still fresh, he knew quiet well that Sabo was nothing like Faux. But then, he recalled his surrogate family. He turned and looked at the priests of the temple. They looked like they had also heard Sabo's offer, but many of them were keeping a neutral expression except for Michiko, who looked especially shocked. They had done so much for him over the years, and he felt that he couldn't just leave them. Michiko was his closest friend. He couldn't leave her or them after everything he did. He turned back to Sabo with his head down. Michiko gasped recognizing what Nix was about to do. Before Nix could reject Sabo's offer, he felt a soft push. Nix turned around to see Michiko. She was smiling brightly. "Go Nix."

"Wh…what? Michiko…"

Soon Ni walked over giving a hearty laugh. "She's right, Boy. If you miss an opportunity like this, then you are just waiting for another ruffian like Faux to take advantage of your sacred creed."

"Go for it, Nix!"

"Follow your dream, Nix!"

"Make us and your mother proud, Nix!"

Nix was in complete shock. All of the priests and priestesses were giving their blessings for him to leave and join a life of piracy. He knew they supported his dream, but allow him to join a pirate crew? He never would've believed. He then watched as first priest walked towards him. The old folk soon went quiet as first priest stopped right in front of Nix. The young man looked nervous. "High Priest…"

"Nix…piracy is an unforgivable act in which selfish men and women partake in breaking the law and causing nothing but trouble for others." Nix nodded almost unconsciously. Years of being scolded at will do that to a young man. Even Michiko flinched hearing Ichi's stern voice. But Nix was soon surprised when the high priest placed a comforting hand. He looked up to see the high priest smiling. "But, piracy for the sake of one's dreams is another matter."

"High Priest…"

"With my and everyone's blessing, please go with this young man and follow your dream."

Nix couldn't help it. He couldn't hold back the tears, but he was smiling. Everyone could see that this was a great moment for the young man. Sabo, having watched, had hardly looked worried. Nix quickly composed himself wiping his tears away. He then looked at the high priest, second priest, priestess, and everyone at the temple with a confident smile. "Everyone!" he shouted, "I'm leaving, and I don't know when you'll see me again, but I'll make you all proud!"

The crowd cheered. Everyone was excited for Nix's journey. As they cheered, Nix turned back to Sabo now completely confident. "Sabo…please allow me to join your crew."

"Welcome aboard, Nix!" Sabo said with a grin and holding out his hand. Nix grinned back and shook Sabo's hand.

A short time later, Sabo and Nix were setting out with the priests and priestess waving them good-bye. The two pirates waved back as the boat sailed away from Kon Kon Island. Michiko was being especially loud with her good-byes. As the other priests and priestesses waved and shouted, Ni spoke to the High Priest. "This will be good for him…"

"Yes." Ichi nodded. "While his acts were forgiven by us, the townsfolk will not be so forgiving. This way, he is happy and so will the villagers. Two birds with one stone."

"But I wonder…" Ni said as he coaxed his long beard. "That boy, Sabo, he seemed utterly confident that Nix would join him."

"Hmm, maybe that was his plan." Granny Hooli said with an amused chuckle. "Maybe he wanted to steal our little Nix away."

Ni laughed. "You must be going senile. He was probably talking about beating that hooligan Faux." The old priestess giggled at the priest's comment. The high priest did not say anything for he had a strange feeling that she may be right.

"Good luck, Nix!" shouted Michiko one last time. "Come back home soon!"

"Bye Michiko! Bye everyone!" shouted Nix before turning towards the front of the boat.

He walked up to Sabo, who was resting against the mast. He had his hat over his eyes blocking the sun, but he wore an accomplished smile. He gave the older teen a bewildered look. "Why are you so happy?"

"My planned worked…" Sabo said cryptically.

"To defeat Faux?" questioned Nix curiously.

"No, to get you to join."

Nix looked at Sabo befuddled. "Since when?"

"When I beat you in town." Sabo said with a chuckle.

"What? There's no way…"

"Well, a little information gathering, a few lucky guessing, and a little luck. The plan was pretty flexible, but I was sure that before I left I would have you join."

Nix stared at Sabo completely shocked. "Are you some kind of crazy person? Did I just join a crazy pirate?!" The last part said to no one in particular.

Sabo chuckled as his new crew mate's self-defined dilemma. "Not crazy…but a little bit mad…" Sabo chuckled again before resting. Nix shook his head and looked out to sea.

'_I wonder what sort of adventure Sabo will bring me into…'_ Nix thought with excitement.

* * *

Meanwhile on a much bigger ship heading for who knows where, a figure was lying in a lifeboat enjoying a nap. The most one could see the sleep bubble that expanded and deflated with each breath. A seagull landed on the edge and poked at the bubble. When it popped the bird flew away and woke the person in the lifeboat. A yawn then escaped before that person spoke in a female tone. "MMMmm…Is it morning already?"

_TO BE CONTINUED…_

* * *

**Author's note: So, I hope everyone enjoyed the first part of Sabo's journey. Nix is a welcomed addition to his crew. So now, I thought I would have a little fun. Just a little look into the mind of me, Hotspot the 626th.  
**

**Fun Facts:**

**The names in the arc vary, excluding Nix. Kon Kon Island is named after what a fox says in Japanese culture. Faux = a clever way to be a little bit fox themed while also being fake. His last and middle name are slightly based off 'bandit'. ****Kumiho, or sometimes Gumiho, is Korean for 'Nine-tailed fox'.**** Ichi and Ni are respectively '1' and '2' based off when they appeared. Hooli, spelled huli, is Chinese for fox. Michiko is actually a more personally naming choice. If you ever look on my dA page you will understand.**

**No characters were based off the Naruto series...to my knowledge. XD**

**I hope you enjoy these Fun Facts. Until next time! Ja Ne!**


	3. Search Party!

**Author's Note: Who was the person sleeping in the boat? Let's find out now!**

**Remember, Read, Review, Reverse, Review, Read!**

* * *

**One Piece: ASL Pirates Special**

**Episode of Sabo**

With his new member, Soul D. Nix, aboard, Sabo continued on his journey. It had been a few days since their meeting. "So, where is are next destination?" asked Nix.

Sabo smiled. "I was thinking of heading towards Disco Ball Island."

"Mirrorball Island?" Nix questioned curiously.

"It's a big gathering spot for anyone. Every day is like one big party. I'm hoping we can recruit some people to join."

"Oh, good idea. I hope we can find some cool and strong guys."

"Me too." Sabo then took notice of something off in the distance. Nix saw his expression and turned around to see what he was looking at.

Off in the distance, they could see a large ship roughly ten times their size. But what caught there attention was the sounds that were being made on the boat. Gun fire was the most common and easily the loudest, but as they got closer they began hearing what was happening onboard.

"After him!"

"Don't let him get away!"

"Thieving little brat!"

"He'll keelhaul him!"

As their small boat floated next to the big ship, the two pirates wondered what was going on above. "Got him!" Came a shout from above in triumph. It was soon followed cheers from others.

"Let go of me, assholes!" shouted a different voice. The voice was a pitch high then the other men's voices aboard.

"Toss him overboard, lads." A man ordered sternly, mostly likely the captain.

"No! Don't do that! I'll do anything, clean the decks, cook the food, just don't throw me into the ocean!"

Nix felt worried. He looked at Sabo. "Should we help?"

Sabo shrugged indifferently. "It's not our concern really."

"It's too late for you, lad." The captain shouted unforgivingly. "Toss him."

"Aye sir!" replied the men.

"I'm not a-Ahhhhh!" Whatever the boy was about to say was quickly forgotten as he was tossed off the ship. Sabo and Nix watched surprised as the boy fell from the ship. And falling straight to them.

"Whoa, whoa, wait!" shouted the teens as the panicked. There was nothing they could do before the boy landed on top of them. The boat amazingly withstood the crash. All three boys were now knocked unconscious.

* * *

Search Party!

Search for the Demon Blade, Akaoni

* * *

The large ship sailed away from Sabo's small ship not even caring that the person they just thrown off their ship had – more or less – safely landed on another. Meanwhile, Sabo and Nix quickly recovered as did their guest. "Hi, I'm Sabo and this is Nix." Sabo said as he pointed to his friend off to the side. "Um, welcome aboard my ship."

"Thanks for being here when those bastards threw me off." The boy said as he rubbed his head.

Sabo eyed their new guest carefully. The boy had ear-length, scarlet-red hair and much of it was under a purple bandana. His clothes were kind of baggy. He wasn't wearing any shoes. And he had a katana on his side. _'What a weird swordsman…'_

Nix nodded. "They were kind of rude."

"Wait? You heard?" asked the boy surprised.

"We were right next to them."

"Anyway," The boy said as he bowed to the teens. "I could really use a ride. Could I stay until the next island? Please."

"H-Hey. No problem." Sabo said with a smile. "We're heading to Mirrorball Island."

"Really?!" the boy said with excitement. "I've heard of that place. They say it's always an all-night party!"

"We're going there to recruit some more members for our crew." Nix stated.

"Recruit? Crew?" the boy repeated confused. He then pointed to the two teens, "Are you guys…pirates?"

"Yep!" Both teens said quickly.

"Oh, okay." The boy said causally.

Both teens' looked at the girl in disbelief. "Huh, I was expecting a different reaction." Nix said to Sabo.

"Anyway, can we have a name?" asked Sabo.

"Yeah, it's Suzy."

No one spoke for several moments. Nix and Sabo then laughed. "Sorry, but I didn't know Suzy could be a guy's name." said Nix before laughing again.

"It's a first for me, too." Sabo added trying to muffle his own laughter.

Suzy looked at the teens angrily. "It's not…I am girl! Idiots!"

Sabo and Nix stopped laughing. They stared at Suzy in disbelief. "What?!" shouted the teens in shock.

After much apologizing from Sabo and Nix, Suzy begrudgingly forgave them. "You did save me, after all", was her reasoning. They continued to sail forth towards Mirrorball Island.

* * *

Sometime later, that same large ship from earlier was under attack by pirates. The pirates' ship was just as big as the merchant ship with a unique red and black cobra figure head. On board, the crew, once so proud, was being rounded up and tied together in a crop. They only one not with the group of sailors was the captain, an old and fat looking man. He was being held by two of the pirates.

Walking across the deck, a tall, shadowed man with his right leg replaced with a metal and pointy peg-leg. He wore tradition captain clothes unlike the older man. He stopped right in front of the merchant captain. One of the pirates then approached the pirate captain. "Captain Doken, we checked the cargo. None of them match the description."

"Did you find that brat?" asked the man.

The man shook his head. The pirate captain then turned to merchant captain. He grabbed the man's shirt and held him up threateningly. "Where is it?!"

"Where is what?" shouted the merchant captain scared.

"Did that brat give you a blood red sword to carry?"

"Brat…" repeated the captain confused. He then remembered earlier that day. "Do you mean the scarlet haired lad? We tossed him overboard hours ago."

"What?!" shouted Doken angrily.

"But…but…he was picked up by some small ship." The captain said quickly out of fear. This caught Doken's attention and cooled his rage just a bit. The captain then pointed out towards the see. "They were heading towards Mirrorball Island."

"You don't say." Doken said as he dropped the captain. He then turns to his crew. "Men…take everything and return to the ship. We're heading for Mirrorball Island."

"Aye!" shouted the men.

"N-No! You can't…Gah!" The captain shouted before being stabbed in the shoulder by Doken's metal peg-leg. The man clutched his shoulder, but soon began screaming in agony.

Doken smirked. "Akaoni…you will soon be mine."

* * *

Sabo, Nix, and Suzy sailed for a day before they saw an unusual outline in the distance. If it was on island, it was certainly a weird one as it was large and completely lifeless. And let's not forget unusually smooth. None of them could make heads or tails of it. Nix soon spotted something off to the distance. "Hey look!" He pointed out.

The others looked over to the side to see ships leaving and entering somewhere off the side of the dome. "I guess we head that way." Sabo said as he turned the helm sending the boat towards the side.

In moments, the group made it inside. They were all amazed by the inside. The dome's inside was painted like a clear starry night. Looking out, the actual island was in the center. It had bright lights, flashing lights, spotlights, and any other kind of lights lighting up the entire city. Hanging just above the city was disco ball glittering brightly. The island had a large cliff that had maybe the world's largest speaker ever. It played music for the entire island. Always festive and always the hottest songs. In the harbor, dozens of ships were anchored. Because they were a small sailing vessel, they were able to dock directly on the island.

Suzy was already on the docks facing the crew of two. "Thank you for allowing me to sail with you." Suzy said to Sabo and Nix. "I hope we can meet again. And next time, try not to be judgmental assholes."

"Yeah…we'll keep that in mind." Sabo said with a nervous smile.

Suzy smiled full of pride and smugness and left the group.

Nix sighed in relief. "You know, maybe we should've let her drown…"

"She's certainly confident in herself." Sabo chuckled as he tied the boat to the dock. "Oh well, let's explore a bit."

"Right!" Nix nodded with a little excitement. "My first time on a new island. I can't wait…"

"Let's go."

The boys explored Mirrorball Island. It's possible that the better phrasing for their exploring could be called 'partying'. While most of the excitement was usually held in a wide plaza with a large stage one could certainly find excitement wherever you go on this island. The locals of the island are quite friendly. It was almost hard to believe that anyone could sleep on this island. Sabo quite enjoyed partying with everyone. Nix was a bit shyer as such large celebrations were only held once a year on his home island. In time, their 'exploring' soon tired them.

"Let's hit a bar." Sabo suggested to Nix pointing towards on in particular, the Party Punch.

Sabo and Nix had taken a booth off to the side. Both were eyeing around the establishment Sabo more critically. Like any bar, it had many shady people. Even an island dedicated to dancing and having fun had this kind of people. Nix was simply curious about what other people were doing and how they were acting. Sabo eyed everyone in the bar carefully. So far, he didn't see any potential. Everyone was loud, rude, and some looked pretty stupid. _'That girl Suzy would make a better member…'_ Sabo thought to himself.

"So, how do we attract people to join the crew?" asked Nix curiously. "Should I…transform?"

"No." Sabo said quickly. "We'd attract the wrong crowd with that."

"Well, what do we need for a crew then?"

Sabo rubbed his chin in thought. "A cook…a navigator…"

"A navigator?"

"Well, I'm pretty good a navigating, but an experienced navigator would be better. I think we can make do without a cook for a while." Sabo then came across a certain memory. It made him chuckle.

"What is it?" asked Nix.

"My little brother Luffy always said that a musician is the most important role to fill."

"Really?"

"'Pirates love to sing' he said." Sabo said with a smile.

"Well, if you don't mind, I think we can find a musician here." Nix said a bit eager.

Sabo chuckled. "We'll see…" Sabo then continued to search through the crowd. He wasn't expecting much.

Then, someone burst through the doors. "Everyone!" The man shouted loudly. Everyone in the bar looked towards the front. Sabo and Nix were also drawn towards his shouting. "They're here! 'Venomous Sting' Doken and his Cobra pirates are here!"

Everyone in the building gasped. Sabo and Nix were confused. "Venomous?" Sabo said concerned.

"Cobra pirates?" repeated Nix.

"They're heading this way!" shouted the man again.

As a barmaid came to give them their drinks, Sabo spoke to her. "Excuse me, but what is everyone so scared about?"

The barmaid gasped. "You don't know?" Both Sabo and Nix shook their heads. "Doken is a pirate captain worth 13 million belis. He's really dangerous."

"Whoa…that's more than Faux's bounty." Nix commented a bit worried.

"He's here!" A shout came from outside. The barmaid quickly took off behind the counter. Sabo and Nix looked from out their booth.

The doors opened as a one big man with a few others entered. Everyone went silent. Sabo eyed the group carefully. The big one was obviously Doken, captain of the Cobra Pirates. His facial features were stern and chiseled. Almost like he was permanently angry. He had short dark purple hair. Like earlier, he adorned typical pirate captain uniform in a black and red color scheme. And of course, his most defining features was his metal peg-leg replacing his right leg and his sword on his back placed in an oversized sheath. From it, one could hear a swish-swoshing sound. The group of them stopped right in the middle of the room. Doken gave the room a look around and scowled in disappointment.

The captain then walked forward towards the counter. The bartender noticed the man. "What can I do for ya…?"

"Information." Doken stated clearly. The bartender eyed the man curiously. Sabo and Nix listened in. "Have you've seen anyone with a sword with a blade as red as blood?"

The bartender scratched his chin as he thought about the pirate captain's request. "No, I can't say I've ever seen such a blade."

"Then what about a boy with scarlet hair and a purple bandana."

Nix gasped in surprise. Sabo remained silent. The bartender shook his head. "Can't say I've had. We don't serve minors."

"I see…"

"If I may ask," said the bartender curiously. "What's the interest in a red sword and minor?"

Everyone in the bar listened in. Doken seemed to smile with the attention. "Tell me, have you ever heard of the Mongo Pirates?"

"Hmm, yeah. Some upstart pirates with a captain whose bounty was higher than yours. If I recall correctly." The bartender trying not to offend the pirate captain. "Last I heard, they were defeated and captured."

"Let me tell you something about that." Doken said with a wide smirk. "Mongo and the entirety of his crew were wiped out by a single old man and sword that was red as the blood it spilt."

Everyone in the bar gasped in shock. Judging by their reactions, Sabo believed that this Mongo person might have been an impressive person. But he was sure that the key interest here was in the sword the captain mentioned. He listened in as Doken began spouting a story for the whole bar to hear. "My rivalry with Mongo is well-known. I was heading to him for another battle, when I came across his crew and himself being defeated by an old man with a sword unlike any other."

"That can't be…" shouted someone in the crowd.

"Mongo could even fight Don Krieg. Toe-to-toe!" shouted another in the crowd.

"I can't believe that some old man could defeat him…" said another person.

"Shut up!" yelled Doken to the crowd surprising them. "That old man was nothing! It was the sword."

"What?" Someone in the crowd questioned loudly.

"Later, I killed that old man." Doken smirked viciously. The crowd went silent. "He didn't have that sword in his possession."

"So?" spoke Sabo loudly.

Nix freaked. "Sabo…"

Doken looked over at Sabo's booth. He eyed Sabo critically. Sabo looked back waiting to be impressed. Doken grunted before continuing his explanation. "I saw that old man fight with that sword in hand. He was like a demon. A red demon."

"Really?" Sabo said mocking surprise for the sake of not picking a fight.

"Yes! And when he lost his sword, he fell like any old fool." Doken laughed in triumph. His group laughed along with him. He then got serious. "I later found a brat nearby carrying the sword. I lost him until now."

Doken then turned to the crowd. "And hear this, spread the word that I, 'Venomous Sting' Doken, am offering a reward of half my bounty to whoever finds the brat with red hair and a purple bandana and bring him or that sword to me!"

The crowd was aghast. There was a lot of money behind what Doken was saying. Any man would take this opportunity to get rich quick. In an instant, the whole bar was in an excited uproar. Soon everyone was rushing out the bar. The only ones left now were Doken and his men, the bar staff, and Sabo and Nix, the latter looking very nervous. Doken took notice of the two teens still in their seats. He glared at them looking pretty threatening.

Sabo smiled. "Come on, Nix. Let's get out of here."

Nix stared at Sabo dumbfounded. Sabo then got out of their booth and began leaving. "Um, wait!" Nix said before joining Sabo.

Even as the two teens left, Doken eyed the two suspiciously. "Those two know something…" He then turned to one of his men. This man had red hair spiked and looked like a punk. "Follow them, Kiba…"

The man nodded. "Aye, sir." And then he quickly walked out.

From the bar, Sabo and Nix continued to walk down the street. Both of them noticed how fast news began spreading. Entire crowds were now in the search for this boy with a purple bandana. Nix looked to be worried. "Do you think the 'boy' is really Suzy?"

"I'm not entirely sure." Sabo said while in thought. "But she's probably endanger whether she actually has that 'demon' sword or not."

"How are we gonna find her?" asked Nix.

Sabo smirked. "Well, that would be your job, mate." Nix looked at Sabo confused.

* * *

Suzy loved this island. She generally loved to be in parties. Certainly a large dance party in Dance Plaza – where the large stage is – would be a great party. Unfortunately, she had once again been mistaken for a boy. This time however she retaliated against the perpetrator – a rather dumb looking man – with a punch. But the man apparently was here with a posse and she quickly escaped. At this moment, she was hiding behind a few crates as her chasers searched for her. She grinned as the group stupidly moved on without seriously checking their surroundings.

"What sheeple." Suzy giggled before walking back out into public.

As she walked she took in the sights. Whatever district she was in it was full of lights and sounds. One sight that caught her attention was a cool-looking toy shop. In the window display were some displays of robot toys moving on their own. "Ooh, so cool." Suzy said as she mindlessly went up to the store window to view.

While she was distracted, two rough-looking men had spotted her. They approached casually enough. Suzy didn't notice the two until she saw their reflections in the window. She turned around and looked up at the men. The first one smirked. "We finally found you, sword boy."

"What?' Suzy asked confused.

"Now, a kid such as yourself has no need to carry a sword at his side." The second one spoke being somewhat polite. Suzy eyed both of them suspiciously. The second man then continued to speak. "How about giving that sword to us adults and we'll give you some money for a toy or two?"

"What are you? Idiots?" Suzy stated indifferently. She then clutched her sword's hilt. "This is my sword."

Neither men obviously didn't like the girl's tone. Thus, they tried to rush her. "Give us the sword, boy!"

Suzy got angry. She sneaked between the two of them causing them to hit the glass. Suzy then turned around and gave both men a swift kick to their balls. "I'm a girl, bastards!"

Both men fell to the ground in immense pain. Suzy then quickly left. She didn't get far when some more men suddenly stepped in front of her. All of them were smiling deviously. "Give us the sword, boy!" shouted one of the men.

Suzy held onto her sword. "No!" She then ran down a nearby alley.

"After him!" shouted the same man. All the men soon gave chase.

Suzy weaved through alleyways and streets trying her best to lose her chasers. Unfortunately, it had the wrong effect. "Why are they chasing me?!" shouted Suzy now in a panic. Her chasers now increased to practically mob size.

Meanwhile, Sabo was walking around by his own. Or was he? Just in front of him was a blue fox with four tails. It was sniffing the ground seemingly following something. Sabo then spoke, "How we doing, Nix?"

The fox lifted his head and looked over at Sabo. "Yeah, her scent is strong going this way." The fox said, sounding like Nix, as it pointed its paw in a certain direction.

"Good, I hope she hasn't gotten into trouble yet."

"Good thing she left quite a bit of her scent on the boat." Nix said thankfully.

"There he goes!" Sabo and Nix stopped when they heard a shout. At that moment, Suzy ran out of an alley and then ran across into another. Soon after a large crowd of men followed her same path.

Sabo and Nix gasped. "Suzy!" The two then took off to follow the mob.

Suzy soon turned another corner. She abruptly stopped when she found the alley a dead end. "Shit!"

"There you are!" Suzy turned around to see her pursuers blocking her only exit. All of them were grinning in triumph while also breathing heavily in exhaustion. "Give us the sword!"

Suzy held her sword close. "You'll have to fight me for it!" She said defiantly.

"Fine with us!" Then the men began walking down the alley armed and ready.

Suzy was ready to draw her sword, but she noticed something amongst the crowd. A blue blur seem to appear and disappear in the crowd. Before the group of men got any closer, a blue furred fox with four tails and wearing a set of clothes exited the front of the crowd and stood before them. The group of men quickly stopped when seeing the fox. "A fox?" questioned on of the men.

"A blue fox! I've never seen one before." Suzy spoke in amazement.

"Beware of kitsunes playing pranks." The blue fox said with a mischievous smile.

Everyone gasped. "A talking fox?!" shouted everyone, the crowd in shock and Suzy in amazement.

"Hi-yah!" There then came a shout from behind the group. The back of the group looked back to see a man in a top hat slap a horse's rear. The horse neighed being startled and ran with the cart behind it. Sabo waved to the group with a grin. "Bye!"

The men looked at him confused. Sabo then pointed down. The men followed and found their legs wrapped by rope. "Shit-Ah!" Then, one by one, the men were dragged by the horse until all of them were gone.

"Hey Suzy, are you all…" Sabo stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Suzy.

The little girl was hugging and petting the blue fox. "You're so soft. Do to you wanna be my pet, Mr. Talking Fox?"

"Um…Suzy…" said the blue fox feeling smothered.

The little girl gasped. "You know my name?"

"Yeah, it's me, Nix!" Suzy let go of the fox in shock. She then watched as the fox's tail grew long and wrapped around the figure. In a mere instant, replacing the fox was Nix.

Suzy gasped. "It is you! That's so cool!"

"I'm here too, ya know." Sabo said as he joined the conversation. "And it was my plan to help you."

"Can you turn into an animal?" asked Suzy with an unimpressed stare.

"No…" Sabo said plainly.

"Then who cares!" Suzy said before resuming her hero worship-like state. Nix chuckled, but stopped when Sabo gave him a warning glare.

"Well, you should care." Sabo said to Suzy. "Some pirate named Doken is after you."

"What! Why?" shouted Suzy in disbelief.

"Because you have a sword he wants!" shouted Sabo as he pointed Suzy's sword.

"What…What?" Suzy gasped and looked down at her sword in surprise.

Just around the corner, Kiba was peeking around the corner. He had listened in on their conversation. The man grinned with evil pride as he slowly brought up his weapon, a sai. He prepared to strike at the group and take the sword.

_TO BE CONTINUED…_


End file.
